Zara teams up with John Galliano to recycle vintage pieces from its archives
The 65-year-old designer has been hired by Marta Ortega to deconstruct and transform pieces from old collections of Inditex's flagship brand.
BarcelonaZara has announced a two-year creative collaboration with designer John Galliano, whose aim is to reinterpret the brand's archives across various collections with an innovative and contemporary approach. Galliano will work with pieces from past Zara seasons, deconstructing and transforming them to create entirely new designs. As the Inditex flagship brand explained in a statement on its social media channels, the signing of the designer represents a firm commitment to reinterpreting the brand's legacy and identity, which spans more than 50 years.
Guided by a haute couture process and a distinctly personal vision, the collections will be presented seasonally throughout this two-year collaboration, which begins in September of this year and will run for two years. The aim is to revitalize the brand's image, which has been working steadily for years to be perceived by the public as a high-fashion label, not just a manufacturer of utilitarian garments.
John Galliano, currently 65 years old, left his position as creative director of Maison Margiela in 2024 after 10 years at the helm of its workshops. At this Belgian-born brand—though now Italian-owned—he was able to rediscover the avant-garde creative spirit that had characterized his years of greatest success. In fact, it was there that he found refuge after his controversial dismissal from Dior in 2011, due to a reputational crisis stemming from his addiction problems.
A long career
The designer, born in Gibraltar and whose name is Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano, was fired from Dior after making antisemitic comments about women that went viral. The controversy was global because his offensive remarks were recorded in December 2010 in a video that circulated worldwide. He expressed admiration for Hitler He was telling two women sitting next to him in a bar in the Parisian district of Le Marais that "people like them would be dead." As most media outlets recall today, he appeared to be under the influence of some substance, which generated significant international controversy and intense debate within the fashion industry. Faced with this reputational crisis, Dior could no longer retain him as creative director.
John Galliano is considered one of the most influential designers of recent decades. His greatest achievements are divided between his time as an independent designer and his work at major luxury fashion houses. Between 1996 and 2011, he transformed Dior into a spectacular and media-driven brand. His fashion shows were veritable theatrical spectacles, full of history, fantasy, and cultural references that captivated the attention of the industry and the specialized press. Between 1995 and 1996, he directed Givenchy, making him the first British designer to lead a house A historic French designer, he rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s with his eponymous label, known for his extreme creativity and narrative approach to fashion. His collections, inspired by history, travel, and film, cemented his cult status. For the last ten years, he has successfully revived Maison Margiela, restoring its prestige after a period of media decline.